United legend explains how “calm, composed” 23-yo has “steadied the ship” at Old Trafford

Few Manchester United fans would have predicted the impact Senne Lammens has had at Old Trafford since arriving last summer. The Red Devils, plagued by goalkeeping woes for two campaigns, opted to put their trust in a relatively unknown Belgian plying his trade with Royal Antwerp. Lammens arrived at the Theatre of Dreams on transfer deadline day for a reported £18 million fee. The Premier League giants were also linked with a move for Aston Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine is one of the finest in his position in the league and is also well-versed in the rigours of the top tier of English football. However, United decided to take a leap of faith to sign the Belgian, banking on the experience and expertise of their chief goalkeeping scout, Tony Coton. It has to be said that Lammens has been worth his weight in gold so far, with the goalkeeping department now making news for the right reasons. Comparisons with Edwin van der Sar Lammens has registered six clean sheets in 34 appearances in all competitions so far, bringing stability and calmness between the sticks that was lacking under his predecessor, Andre Onana. For a relatively unproven young player, the Belgian has coped well with the physicality of the Premier League, while his dominance at set pieces has been a refreshing change from the Cameroonian. Senne Lammens Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesGoals ConcededClean SheetsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League29376–2,610′ Jupiler Pro League44—360′ FA Cup12—90′ Total34436–3,060′ Source: Transfermarkt. United have had some tremendous goalkeepers in the past and Lammens has previously revealed that he looks up to the legendary Edwin van der Sar. The Dutchman arrived at the Theatre of Dreams in the summer of 2005, and went on to etch his name in gold in the club’s illustrious history. By the time he retired in 2011, Van der Sar had registered 138 clean sheets in 312 appearances for the Premier League giants, conceding 259 goals. The Dutchman won 11 trophies at Old Trafford, including four Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League. During his time, Van der Sar also set the record for most minutes without conceding a goal (1,311) in the Premier League, a feat that stands to this day. The legendary goalkeeper has previously heaped praise on Lammens and has shared his thoughts on the young goalkeeper once again. Lammens has steadied United Speaking to former United goalkeeper Ben Foster on the Fozcast podcast, Van der Sar insisted that Lammens has steadied the ship since coming to Old Trafford. He said: “I think I saw a few games when he played in Belgium, at Antwerp, but to come to one of the best, the best league in the world, to a club that is in difficulty, United the last couple of years, it’s chop and change, managers, players, all kinds of things.” “And I think he steadied the ship when he came in, made the saves that he needed to make, was brave coming out, played with his feet also, a calm, composed figure.” The Flying Dutchman registered 25 clean sheets in 51 appearances in his debut campaign, conceding just 40 times. Inadvertently, there have been comparisons between Van der Sar and Lammens’ debut campaigns, but the former custodian was quick to play them down. The former Ajax graduate went on to outline why the Belgian’s efforts are even more impressive, adding: “I think comparable, let’s say, to how I played, but I came there at 34. So, in that way, he’s doing tremendously well.” Final Thoughts Van der Sar had bags of experience when he arrived at Old Trafford, which helped him settle quickly at the club. As such, it might be unfair to compare Lammens to the legendary Dutchman at the moment. However, early signs suggest that the Belgian could prove to be just as important to United’s cause in the long run. Senne Lammens made his United debut in the reverse fixture against Sunderland 👊🌟 How impressed have you been with our Belgian keeper this season? 💭 pic.twitter.com/rHZE5sTrVP — Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 8, 2026 Featured image by Michael Regan/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.